Yacht crewing

Chasing the summer months in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean and living the lifestyle of the rich and famous is something most of us only dream about. But for Andrew Virieux it’s all in a day’s work. Virieux got his break into the luxury yacht business as a deckhand 2 1/2 years ago when he was backpacking in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Since then he has travelled the globe and rubbed shoulders with some of the world’s wealthiest captains of industry.

There are two types of super yachts to work on — privately owned yachts and charters. Virieux says the number of crew on each vessel is dependent on the size of the boat and can range from three to 60. The biggest vessel he’s worked on was 43m (141ft) and it had 11 other crew members. He says the bonus for the crew on a charter boat is big tips — often an extra $1000 a week.

Positions for eager workers on super yachts include captain, first officer, second officer, bosun (who gets to handle all the gear, such as the jet-skis, kayaks and windsurfers), deckhand and engineers. There is also at least one five-star chef on board, as well as stewardesses. “Usually the starting [charter] rate for a boat is about $50,000 a week. That is the very cheapest boat that you can get; some of them cost a couple of hundred grand a week,” Virieux, 33, says.

Some boats can cost up to $500 million to build and generally the running cost is at least 10 per cent of the purchase price per year, making it a hobby of the uber-rich.

The working hours are long when guests or owners are on board, but when a boat is “off duty” it’s normal Monday to Friday hours to keep the boat in trim.

“You get paid really well and it’s really hard to spend money because your accommodation, food and uniforms are provided,” Vieieux says. “It’s hard work but the rewards are outstanding. I have been to so many places I would not have been to otherwise. And I made great friends for life.”

Virieux counts the French Riviera as one of his favourite trips; Monaco, Monte Carlo, St Tropez, Antibes and Cannes for the film festival. Sailing from New Orleans to the Bahamas and around the New England region in the US was also a highlight.

Virieux has just written a book, The Best Travel Job in the World: Crewing a Luxury Yacht, to show others how to do it.